Fears
by Seanthi
Summary: He stumbled through the darkening forest, his right hand was pressed to his bleeding side, and the flaxen hair was striped with red... Legolas is captured by a rather insane she-elf, taken into the heart of Dol Guldor... ch 3 up!
1. Beginings

Tolkien is God, he is the Creator Ilúvatar on Earth. He rules all, he owns all. (including myself)  
  
A/N; By the way, the elves do feel how cold snow is they just don't care, if the snow on the other hand is thrown at them like in a snowball war they care.  
  
~  
  
Legolas looked at his father from behind the drape; his flaxen hair was concealing his face, as he stood troubled at the table, Elrond stood next to him and Haldir was slumped in a chair. Legolas uncle had been wounded in the last melee, a deep gash in his left side had immobilized him for a while, which Legolas had enjoyed since the two had spent time together.  
  
The Imladris twins were on guard, even though Elladan had been wounded; an arrow had pierced his armor and he had a small laceration in his left calf.  
  
"Legolas?" Thranduíl asked looking up at the place where Legolas was hiding. "Aren't you tired, young one?" he asked as Legolas came out from his hiding place. Haldir stirred and sat up, frowned as his healing side pulled and stretched out his hands against Legolas who immediately crawled up into his lap.  
  
"Don't break the stitches," Elrond said nearly without looking up. "Neither of you."  
  
"We're careful, we promise," Haldir said as he pushed Legolas hair back behind his ears, he could see that his nephew was tired beyond himself, but since he had been poisoned he was afraid to sleep because of the nightmares. The child had started to act younger and more in need of his fathers or uncles presences as well. "You didn't answer your fathers question."  
  
"I'm not tired," Legolas said yawning. "Where is Orophin?"  
  
"He's out with the twins on guard," Haldir said as he saw how Legolas eyelids sunk. Thranduíl glanced over at his brother-in-law and smiled. "He will be back soon."  
  
"Tell me a story."  
  
"The one of the ents?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"There once were a people." Haldir started to tell the story.  
  
  
  
"He has recovered to his body but he is afraid," Thranduíl said silently as he looked over to his son, who rested safely in Thranduíls arms.  
  
"I think he need to get some self-confidence and that soon. Has he started to train yet? I know that Eyla and Eledhin spoke of it."  
  
"They spoke of it, yes but he still is weakened."  
  
"Then he will have to train harder," Orophin said as he silently entered the room. He glanced over at his brother holding the now sleeping child in his arms. "I've made a stick with weights attached the ends for him, I will get him training first thing tomorrow." Thranduíl wasn't exactly surprised how direct and firm Orophin was, that had been his way of living as for long Thranduíl had known. Orophin walked over to his brother and lifted Legolas carefully, trying to avoid wake the elfling up, unsuccessfully, Legolas stirred and met his uncles dark blue eyes. "I'm carrying you to your room, you will sleep better in a bed than in Haldirs lap," Orophin also now had a firm and direct tone, but when Legolas eyes widened in fear of being alone he continued. "Rather said I'll get your bed into your fathers chamber, it's just next-door, and you can call on us if there is anything."  
  
Elrond was as always impressed on the family of Thranduíl, Orophin was always a self-going elf with good ideas, the one he did now was making Legolas to part from his elders for a while. Legolas seemed to agree and allowed his uncle to carry him off.  
  
~*~  
  
About twenty years later.  
  
"This was you idea!" Elladan shrieked as he ran from the wildly screaming Elrohir who was covered in snow, Arwen was giggling, her clothes was drenched of the snow.  
  
When the children had woke up early that morning there had been a feet thick layer of snow and the excitement had been bigger than usual- a snowball war had broke out the moment Elladan had stepped on the snow.  
  
Celebrían and Elrond silently looked at their playing children, Celebrían snuggled tighter into her husbands' arms, sighing.  
  
"What is it?" Elrond asked gently kissing her forehead. "Are you troubled over something?"  
  
"Yes, and no. Aren't they beautiful?" she said as Elladan lifted little Arwen away from the bombarding Elrohirs balls.  
  
"Well right now they are having a merry time. They are beautiful when they are." what Elrond wanted to say was cut short when one of Elrohirs balls hit him in the head. When he wiped most of it away he grinned at his wife whose crystal laughter was hanging in the air. "That's it! Celebrían, let's show our children how to make snowballs!"  
  
The royal family of Imladris did not look so royal when Glorfindel and Erestor looked at them from the balcony, their lord and lady were sometimes overwhelmed by their children and had to take cover behind the benches and statues.  
  
"I think they are enjoying themselves, we better make sure that they involve us in it," Erestor said dryly as Elrond was rubbed in the face by his laughing wife, he was as kind that he repaid the favor.  
  
"I think we make sure that there is some hot spiced wine and fruit-syrup for them when they get inside."  
  
That was a day filled with laughter, shouts and fun.  
  
¨  
  
Meanwhile in Mirkwood  
  
Thranduíl looked over at Rúmil who had just arrived with some messages from Lothlórien, he was the only one of Ehfeníns brothers he knew little of; he usually was silent and withdrawn. Thranduíl knew that he had been courting Eyla since the war in Mirkwood, she often volunteered for missions leading for Lórien and vice versa.  
  
"It has been long since you visited us, Legolas has missed you."  
  
"I have been busy, the dwarves in Khazad-Dûm have been of annoyance."  
  
"They are elves, Rúmil, what do you expect? But on the other hand, they also supply our smiths with Mithril, gems and metals."  
  
"Lady Galadriel said something similar to me but I still think that they are most trouble."  
  
"Rúmil!" a happy shout came as Legolas came into the room, his golden hair was set in a now bushy and muddy ponytail and as for his clothes they were underestimated dirty. He had grew to a near adult on a few short years. He had a red bow and a shiver on his back.  
  
"Ah, Le'olas! It has been a long time," Rúmil said warm as he embraced his nephew, despite the dirt.  
  
"It has. Far to long, for Eyla asked if you were to come soon."  
  
"And I think that a bath is asking for you, son!" Thranduíl laughed. "Rúmil, go and ask Eyla if she would be so kind to join us for dinner."  
  
Rúmil shone up as he a bit to quickly left the chamber.  
  
"Le'olas? How did the training go today?"  
  
"Eledhin says that I beat him in shooting. But my sword use remains. .bad," Legolas said with a snicker. "Eyla want me to try blades instead, she thinks they are easier to use. Ada, do you think Rúmil and Eyla will couple?"  
  
"I think they will do so soon. Legolas, bath, now."  
  
"Yes Ada."  
  
  
  
Well starting out nice and easy. not for much longer. Toil, blood, pain, evil critters of many kinds. Getting Legolas in trouble? YES!!  
  
I'll use flames to torture boyfriend, though he needs flames right now, he was thrown of my old mare this afternoon into the snow. LOL, I do pity him, a little bit. 


	2. Approaching Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone no matter how much I would like to. JRR Tolkiens' heirs own all, and maybe some belongs to the film dudes. This is slightly AU but not so obvious. Only relatives are AU.  
  
¤~¤  
  
He stumbled through the darkening forest, his right hand was pressed to his bleeding side, and the flaxen hair was striped with red. Tindel was next to him urging him on, he miraculously still had both bow and blade; Legolas had lost his bow and one dagger to the evil creatures.  
  
Legolas vision seemed brimmed with darkness, his dagger slipped from his fingers, and his knees nearly gave away.  
  
"No, Le'olas! The others are near!" Tindel shouted in his ear as he forced his friend on. "We'll reach Rúmil soon! Please!" he said as he half carried, half dragged the nearly unconscious prince, he could hear the orcs and wargs hunting them. "Le'olas!?" he shouted as his friend was pulled from his grip. "No! Rúmil! Help!"  
  
The nearest orc, smiled, a smile full of spite and hatred as he held Legolas by his hair, the ashen elf was barely aware of his own danger. Tindel pulled his bow and let his arrow fly, it hit the orc between it's eyes, but he and Legolas had been hold up long enough for the rest of the wargriders and orc to caught up with them and one of them had his blade to Legolas throat, small beads of blood escaped from where it punctured the skin.  
  
"Let go of your weapon and he lives," Tindel recognized that voice, and as he turned he saw Pilindë stand there, her eyes glowed with hate.  
  
"Pilindë? Why?" Tindel asked not releasing his weapons.  
  
"Because I can," she said as she walked up next to the in shock shaking Legolas. "Because you said no, prince," she whispered in his ear. "Because of your family who destroyed mine," she said as she drew her knife and pressed it against Legolas forehead. "Say no no more. Kill him," she said and nodded against Tindel.  
  
Tindel knew that he had branches above his head that he might be able to jump to, but he would have to leave Legolas behind, alas, he no other choice; if he was killed Rúmil and Eyla wouldn't know were to search.  
  
He jumped in the last minute the arrows hit the thin air where he just had been and then they flew around him as he hasted from the place, he knew that orc were good at climbing and he knew that his haste was of most importance.  
  
"Kill him!"  
  
He was one of the fastest climbers in Mirkwood and he dared to jump between the trees, he no longer had any weapons that hindered him. Rúmil was hopefully already looking in this direction, and if he found him quickly enough Legolas might escape further danger.  
  
§~§  
  
Legolas dimly heard the conversation, but he couldn't really estimate his situation, all his thoughts seemed to gather around the pain, he suddenly felt a cold blade to his forehead and the words:  
  
"Kill him!"  
  
He suddenly fell forward as the tight grip on his hair and arms and he felt how the earth chilled his already cold skin even more. And the burning pain in his side, he forced his eyes to focus, and the darkness became an uneven blur, and he saw the pale face of an elf, he recognized her, Pilindë, her beautiful face had such cruel lines and unforgiving eyes as she looked at him. She snorted as she turned him around with the tip of her foot and kneeled next to him.  
  
"You little runt, your fathers power cannot protect you here, and by his words you will die," she said as she let the tip of the dagger trace down his left arm. She bent down and kissed him, softly. "That was for old friendship," she said as she rose. "This on the other hand, is a totally other thing," she continued, and her boot connected hard with Legolas jaw and the darkness came as a dragons flamed breath and swallowed him.  
  
*~*  
  
Tindel was tired, he was shaking of fatigue as he ran on the nearly overgrown passages; he had abandoned the trees when he had stopped hearing the orcs following him. His escape hadn't been a total success; an arrow had hit him, and it had pierced through his arm. He was unsure where he was and waves of nausea and panic gripped him as he suddenly realized that he had been going in the wrong direction. "No, no!" he whispered as he also realized that he was lost. "Adar!? What am I to do!?" he said as tears started to fall from his eyes.  
  
Back in the city of Eryn Lasgalen, which had remained as a name for the city, Eledhin woke up with a start. "Tindel? Legolas?" he had felt his sons' pain and despair, unknowingly to himself he gripped his upper left arm. He hurriedly got up and called on a guard. "Cándil! Go to the kings' chamber and make sure that he is awakened! Then gather a search party!" he dressed and got his weapons, before he ran down the long corridors.  
  
"Eledhin? What has happened?" Thranduíl said as he as well dressed for combat.  
  
"Something has happed with the children, I don't know what. I felt Tindels pain as if it was I that was wounded."  
  
"Legolas?" Thranduíl asked as he sheathed his sword, worry made his voice strangled.  
  
"Tindel was scared. that something had happened."  
  
"The evil that have crept into my lands will it claim more of my family?" Thranduíl said as he gripped a healers' satchel, he had learned much about healing since his sons last clash with death.  
  
  
  
Tindel climbed up in to trees again, trying to reach the tops to get some kind of bearing. He climbed one handed and when he looked up he saw the night heavens and the star sign of Eärendil and then against the dark forest he saw the dim lights of Eryn Lasgalen, it was so very far away, but he knew that he had to go there or both he as well as Legolas would be lost. So he got moving even though he was so tired and his wounds hurt, he kept moving, not allowing himself to stop, 'cause he knew that he wouldn't get any further if he rested. His head wound pained and he suspected that it was the reason why his vision blurred sometimes.  
  
^~^  
  
Rúmil was near tears of powerlessness, and when Eyla and another hunter came back and said that they had lost the track again, Rúmil balled his hand and drove it into a nearby rock. Eyla sighed as she took his now bleeding hand and held it tightly to her chest.  
  
"We lost the tracks now, but our Elven eyes will find them again, as we have done already."  
  
"This is my fault," Rúmil said slowly, mentally wishing for his older brothers. Rúmil had fought on the slopes of Mount Doom, there he knew how to act, here he was only panicked.  
  
"No, they are youngsters, they know of the dangers but they are also thrilled over it, just like we were. Just that they got more than they bargained for. We'll find them, that's promise," Eyla said as she embraced her husband. She knew his thoughts for they were also in her mind. They wondered in which shape they would find the two elves in.  
  
"Eyla, try and find the tracks again."  
  
"Rúmil! Eyla!" the young ranger trained half-elf Glinn called as he came running. "It's Legolas'," he said as he panting showed them his find. An elvish buckle, Rúmil cried out as he gripped it, he recognized it well.  
  
"Its' Legolas', I gave it to him last Yén, Glinn! Where did you find it?" Rúmil asked his voice strangled, Eyla saw how Glinn hesitated, he flinched when Rúmil repeated the question.  
  
"I found it, trotted down into the ground, by orc feet. There were signs of battle."  
  
Rúmil looked at the young ranger then he ran in the direction Glinn had arrived from.  
  
"Rúmil! Wait!" he didn't care of Eylas scream. He was angered that he hadn't noticed that Legolas and Tindel had wandered off, that nightfall had come faster than he anticipated. His nephew, his beloved sister Ehfeníns son and he was to blame.  
  
Eyla looked at the retrieving shape of her husband and she ordered the rest of the hunting party to follow. Glinn ran ahead, as fast as he could to catch up with Rúmil.  
  
Rúmil and his small party reached the glen where Glinn had left his friends, they looked saddened and silently they watched Rúmil look at the dead orcs and wargs and when he saw a thing they had not he cried out.  
  
"What?!" Eyla said as she got nearer, worry having her voice tight.  
  
"His bow," Rúmil said as he untangled the broken shards from the ground, Eyla saw Legolas quiver lay a small distance away; the arrows scattered and broken. "Legolas wouldn't surrender these willingly."  
  
"Here is blood, Elven," a hunter said and pointed at some splatters on a nearby tree.  
  
"The tracks leads towards Dol Guldor," Glinn said as he started to interpret the signs. "They were attacked here and Legolas lost his bow because something grabbed it, the pin burst and the buckle flew over there," he said and pointed at the place where he had found it. "Tindel was thrown to the ground here by a warg, but he somehow escaped. Legolas was in more danger, he was caught and wounded," Glinn continued as he looked at the tree were Elven blood had been spilled. "Tindel in some way forced Legolas to move, he was limping, and bleeding, they were followed."  
  
They continued and Glinn said what he saw in the tracks and Eyla silently wrapped Legolas knife in a cloth and when they reached the trees where Legolas and Tindel had parted Glinns eyes became large.  
  
"Legolas, couldn't go any further on, he lost his second blade and Tindel most likely dragged him."  
  
Eyla glanced at her loved one as she draped Legolas white knife along with his other. He too looked at the tracks, he seemed scared and his voice trembled.  
  
"There was another elf here," he said and pointed on nearly invisible tracks of elfish boots. "A she-elf, to judge from the way the prints is laid."  
  
"Yes, but why is this elf here?" Glinn asked himself, as he looked closer at the tracks.  
  
~  
  
Pilindë looked around at the orcs, they obeyed her; she was their commander. Then her eyes fell at the still form of Legolas, he hadn't regained consciousness since she had kicked him, grunted a short order to the closest orc. It lifted Legolas and placed him on a nearby table, there was a burning fire next by and in it lay implements of torture. The orc looked at the yet bleeding wound in Legolas side and it gripped a hot iron.  
  
"Milady?" it asked as it glimpsed at Pilindë who simply nodded and a yelp escaped the still unconscious elfs' lips as the smell of burning flesh came into the air.  
  
"Make sure that the elf don't die. I have many planes for him."  
  
  
  
Legolas was hurting both on the inside and outside; the dull throbbing in his side had flared into a burning ache, it made his senses jump and with a gasp he regained consciousness. His vision was still blurry at best, he smelled the wretched creatures around and then Pilindë, a she-elf he had both loved as friend, and respected as a warrior. He was still wondering why she did this, she who had been like a sister to him.  
  
"You're awake. If I had been you, I would stayed unconscious," Pilindë said as she touched his face. "You wont be so beautiful soon enough." Legolas looked at her, he tried to move his hand towards her, in an act of his own disbelieving and fear. She looked coldly as she pinned his arm down. "You will never string a bow."  
  
Legolas opened his mouth to speak:  
  
"Pilindë? Why?"  
  
"You dare to ask, you denied me, your father killed my family, he took my birthright from me!" she shrieked as she rose angered. "You look surprised? Not so strange, your father most probably is too ashamed to speak of it! I'll tell you, princeling, I'll tell you everything."  
  
To Be Continued. -always wanted to say that. 


	3. I only continue to fail him

A/N; Okay, this is NO slash! Tindel and Legolas have grown up together! Almost like brothers!  
  
I fell sort of like a moron, don't eat me up alive because I admit it. But when I bought the World of the Ring (Appendixes of the Lord of the Rings) I realized that the renaming of Mirkwood happened in the same time as the RoTK and that the fall of Dol Guldor happened only a few decades earlier. *flushes* As said I'm a moron.  
  
Well Since I started this in ignorance of real history it will continue in faked ignorance. (  
  
This is a continuation of 1: The Sweetest Thing 2: The Unforgiven, (this story's' first chapter sort of.)  
  
(Ps. If you don't like heroic horses, flame me! I can use them for torture of friend()  
  
  
  
// "Legolas, wake up!" Tindel said, as he started to pull at his friends braid.  
  
"Get out! It's long 'til dawn!" Legolas muttered as he pushed Tindel away and rolled over.  
  
"Don't you remember what we are supposed to do today?!" Tindel continued as he went on and tugged at his friends golden hair.  
  
"Leave me be!"  
  
"We're going hunting!" Tindel whispered. It got the attention he had wished as Legolas nearly jumped up from his bed.  
  
"I had forgotten." Legolas said with lopsided smile, as he let his hair out and swiftly rebraided it. "Do you think we'll get anything?"  
  
"With an archer like you? Of course not!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Tindel!" the sudden scream made Tindel react at the last second as a warg nearly snapped at his throat, making Tindel crash into the ground. The warg attacked again and its' teeth tore through his leather braces into his flesh. He thrust his knife between the monsters ribs into its lungs, and then he got onto his feet.  
  
"Legolas!!!" he screamed as he saw his friend fall to his knees as Pilindë smiling cut his throat.  
  
\\  
  
Tindel woke up with a jolt, his teeth were clattering and he was shivering of cold, a very unfamiliar feeling for an elf. It had been a nightmare! It had to be! Legolas was alive.  
  
He had promised himself not to stop but he couldn't remember stopping though. His head was pounding as he staggered once again to his feet, morning had nearly broken; he needed water. Sometime during the night he had dressed his wounds, but they had bleed trough, and a throbbing had replaced the pain. He had gotten lost and he was now going back the same way.  
  
He wished for his friend to be safe, but he knew deep inside that Legolas could be nothing else than danger. But maybe Rúmil and Eyla had found him.  
  
§~§  
  
"I'll tell you everything." Pilindë repeated, as she motioned for an orc to grab Legolas. "And for every wrong your father has done me you will suffer."  
  
Legolas started to resist the orcs' grabbing, and as he started to trash out and fighting the way Eledhin and Eyla so painstakingly had taught him, he got loose and he even got himself a weapon, a orcish scimitar, a weapon that he was unaccustomed to.  
  
"Pilindë, let me go," Legolas pleaded as he limped backwards, the orcs closing in on him, he was scared but yet he found himself very calm. "You can go back with me, it will be all right. I promise," Legolas continued; he couldn't stand the thought of Pilindë being this evil creature in front of him.  
  
She smiled and shook her head.  
  
"A promise from the house of Thranduíl is as opt death. I learned that lesson already. You won't escape, Legolas, just accept."  
  
"Accept what?! Death? Or to be tortured?" Legolas said his voice sinking a few notches, he knew now where he was; the ruins of Dol Guldor.  
  
"Well, there's no where or way to escape Dol Guldor! I could leave you to them," she shouted and waved at the orcs. "They would love your flesh! And their ways of torture are better than mine!"  
  
Legolas leaned against the wall, the surge of adrenaline was subsiding and his wound had reopened. He knew now for certain that he wouldn't be able to escape, or even survive.  
  
"I will not surrender my weapon!"  
  
"Then you give me no other choice, but the merrier it will be. Catch him, you don't need to be so careful, just alive," she ordered.  
  
Legolas defended himself but the orcs swatted his scimitar away and they started kicking and beating him. He could hear and feel how a rib cracked and broke beneath a vicious blow, and when an as strong blow connected with his chest bone he lost consciousness.  
  
¤~¤  
  
Rúmil and Eyla saw the approaching riders, recognizing the king as one of them and the Noldorian Eledhin as another.  
  
"Rúmil? What's happened?" Thranduíl said as he slid of his horse. "Is Legolas.?"  
  
"They were scouting along side Feruín, and they were attacked, Feruín is dead, Tindel and Le'olas are missing. Le'olas, by what we can see was wounded. Tindel seems to have been forced to abandoning Le'olas, his tracks leads against the southern parts. And. there has been a third elf at the scene, one that didn't exactly help."  
  
"Can you see whose?" Eledhin asked his expressions grim.  
  
"No, a she-elf," Rúmil said and he didn't missed the glimpse between his brother-in-law and the former Imladris-captain. "You know who it is?" he asked.  
  
"I believe so," Thranduíl said slowly. "An elf that has few scruples. An elf that has nothing to loose."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"A traitor whose name should have been removed from all knowledge," Eledhin said sharply, his dark eyes locked with Rúmils blue.  
  
"I will not ask again, Eledhin! Who?!"  
  
"You know, or rather said knew, her. With almost all sureness it's Pilindë, she has one to many grudge mostly towards me," Thranduíl answered as he gripped his sons white dagger, feeling the beautiful blade.  
  
"Pilindë? I thought that she died," Eyla said looking at her king.  
  
"You could say that she did, this died in her," Eledhin said as he tapped at his heart. "But mostly it was her deranged mother to blame for that."  
  
"Lady Ithíren? She was gripped by the shadow after Erephers death, right?" Rúmil asked as he remembered the dark eyed beautiful lady; her beauty had disappeared with her sense.  
  
"She was pregnant and therefore she stayed here in Mirkwood, she gave birth to a baby girl. And as you know Erepher was the oldest of us, but when my father disobeyed the high king's order and attacked both perished, I tried to reach them in time, but I didn't."  
  
"You are not to blame for their deaths, Thran," Rúmil said, "I remember this, they where far too hasty."  
  
~¨~  
  
"So you decided to stay with us?" someone said as Legolas repressed a pained groan as someone touched his broken ribs, which felt like they were on fire. His throat felt very raw and he had a bitter taste in his mouth, he shook his head as if he tried to shake the strange sensation of dizziness.  
  
"What did you. did you do to me?" he more or less whispered as he started to shake uncontrollably, everything hurt, he felt like someone had reopened the wound in his side and strew salt in it.  
  
"The orcs have a potion, rather said poison, that makes elves scream and writhe in pain, and every little touch feels like a whip and every whip feels like a knife have cut into you. Old wounds," she said and pressed his ribs again, smiling sadly as Legolas screamed. ".Feels like they were on fire. The potion never allows a victim to fall unconscious and they very seldom die, just pain."  
  
Legolas screamed again in pain as orcs pulled at his chained arms. He stood, but the orcs still pulled the chains and his feet could barely reach the ground, he stood on the tip of his toes, still shaking of pain. He looked up at the clouded skies and he prayed to Ilúvatar for grace, to make the pain go away.  
  
"There are so many ways to inflict pain on others, some are better than others. You will live, as proof of what your fathers' treachery did to my father. But I'll see that you never draw another arrow," Pilindë said as she let her fingers run down his cheekbone. He tried to pull his head away as it was both painful and humiliating. She grabbed a hold of his hair and jerked his head forward. "I am in control."  
  
'~'  
  
Tindel had been running for the most part of the day, his vision was somewhat clearer now after he had drunk some water and eaten a few sweet berries. He knew that he wasn't to far from other elves know, he had seen horse tracks and he also recognized the path he had taken from the drops of his own blood. He heard a horse coming trotting his direction and he was well known with the somewhat irregular beat; it was Thread, his fathers brown old mare, the rein less animal didn't seem to have been ridden but he knew that his father would have used some other horse.  
  
"Thread? Come girl!" Tindel called out relieved to see the mare seeking his empty hand. "I'm sorry, love, I don't have anything for you," he said as the horse nudged his hurting left arm. He placed his good hand on her back and got up, he steadied himself and pressed his calves and the old mare started to move in the same direction as she came from. Tindel knew that she would get him to his father; he leaned forward until he rested his head against Threads neck, he only had to rest a little while.  
  
Eledhin saw how his horse startled, and the dark stallion snorted in the air.  
  
"Someone is nearing!" Glinn whispered as he pulled an arrow.  
  
"It's a horse, silly," Fenith said as she heard the steady thumps against the forest floor. "A horse with a rider."  
  
"Tindel!" Eledhin gasped as he saw his son lying over the horses' back, her light brown coat colored dark where his blood had trailed down. Thread stopped as Fenith got near, she whinnied silently. Eledhin didn't know how he got to the horse but he was there and as he fearing touched his sons' neck. It was warm, and he felt the beat of his heart. "He's alive!" he said relieved as he carefully pulled his son into his arms, felling him stir. "Shh, you are safe." Glinn pulled his dark ranger cloak off and placed it on the ground, and then he helped Eledhin to place the shivering elf down.  
  
"Ada?" Tindel said weakly his open eyes seemed to be unable to see him. "Legolas!"  
  
"We know," Thranduíl said as he opened his satchel. "Pilindë took him. You are not to blame," he said as he started to examine the youngsters' injuries; he had taken an arrow to his arm and the same seemed to have been broken. He had an uneven cut along the side of his head; the king carefully let his fingers trail against the bruise around it.  
  
"Tindel, you must drink this," Thranduíl said as he tilted a blue vial against the boys' lips.  
  
Eledhin was holding his sons shivering body as the king poured over the still bleeding wounds, Tindel pressed his head back into his fathers shoulder as the pain increased and he cried out as Thranduíl cleaned the deepest cuts.  
  
"Shh, it will pass," Eledhin said whispered as he carefully stroked his sons brushed face, looking into the green eyes, a faint reassuring smile touching his face. Tindel passed into blissful painless sleep of the calming words, and by the drug Thranduíl had given him.  
  
"We'll have to take him back to the city," Fenith said as she stood a few meters behind the king. "I will ride," she continued as Glinn glanced over at her, his dark eyes meeting hers light blue.  
  
"Take my horse, he's saddled. Ithile, Merion, go with them." Thranduíl said as he braced Tindels' arm with splinters. He helped Eledhin to lift the sleeping boy and they settled him in front of Fenith.  
  
Eledhin looked after the disappearing riders, his thoughts still on his son, his eyes clouded with fear; during the battles which seemed only like yesterday, he had sent his family to the forestpeoples villages. His children had been safe, his wife Elva, had been by his side, but now she and the twins was in Lothlórien.  
  
"He will be fine," Thranduíl said as he took the apple that Eyla offered him. She knew that healing was tiring, especially for one as untrained as the king. Rúmil was close by, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other; worry was winded into his fair figure.  
  
Eledhin looked at his friends face, they had been friends since the battles at Mount Doom, and he had been councilor since he had moved to Mirkwood.  
  
"I fear for him," Thranduíl whispered, his blue eyes filled with tears. "He is more important to me than all of Middle Earth. And I only fail him."  
  
TBC.  
  
Suffering badly from writers block. HELP!!! 


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